Spent from 2-8:30 ambling around on Fir Island yesterday and focused
in on just a few birds:

GREAT-HORNED OWL - Wylie Road parking lot - female still on nest

SHORT-EARED OWL - Dike at end of Rawlins Rd. - saw none at 4 p.m.,
but saw 2 hunting and going after a NORTHERN HARRIER when I came back
at 7:30 p.m. - when an owl caught a rodent and was about to eat it,
the harrier swooped down and grabbed it for herself - saw the owls out
through sunset, which was, I might add, breathtakingly brilliant.

I wish to thank the 2 men I encountered who shared some nice info and
conversation for a bit at both sites - thanks to Fred (retired
forester) and Kevin (professional photographer) for enhancing the
day's experiences.

I did get photos of the owls and the harrier, but they are not
professional, yet they get the point across. If you'd like to see
any, I can attach them to an email if you contact me offlist. :-)

What a fine day it was in a relaxing setting (except for the skeet
shooting, the Whidbey fighter jets and a few too many dogs (at the
Rawlins Road site). The paucity of visible and audible birds didn't
matter a hoot!


Barb Deihl

North Matthews Beach - Seattle

barbdeihl at comcast.net